Vegan Edinburgh

[mutuality]

Can I just say that Edinburgh is a 'true haven' for vegans. We loved Black Bo's, a truly tasty, flavoursome, colourful, healthy meal comprising of Artichoke and Lemon Pate with Oatcakes, Veggie Haggis, Mushrooms and Mashed turnips for starters. For mains, we opted for spinach and tofu roulade with stir fried veg, asparagus and tofu balls with roasted veg, followed by blueberry and almond tart with mango sorbet.

We also tried the following: -

Viva Mexico - sonaras for starters with olives, enchiladas and burritos. Very efficient, tasty and affordable.
The Baked Potato Shop
Rapido Fish and Chip Bar - chips cooked separately in vegetable oil
Always Sunday - apple crumble with raspberry jam - a few vegan choices.

[Penny]

I've never tried Black Bo's. We're still mourning the demise of Susie's... Whereabouts is it? And, more crucially, how expensive is it? Have you tried L'Artichaut?

[Golebnik]

I’ve lived in Edinburgh for over three years, and I have still never seen Black Bo’s!

I don’t miss Susie’s Wholefood Diner at all, though: the one time I was there, the food had run out and the coffee machine had broken.

Also I must warn people about the normally excellent Ann Purna on a Sunday lunchtime. Although the sign outside advertises the lunchtime buffet, in fact it is not available on a Sunday. Instead there is a kind of set menu, based on the standard menu, but with restricted choices, which are not indicated in print, but are explained by the waiter – who, today, was difficult to understand on account of his strong accent (Gujurati, I think – not Scottish!) Basically you can choose any starter and any of the main ‘curries’ and specialities, but only with plain boiled (not pilau) rice. Also a dessert is included, but that’s no use to vegans, and if you do manage to get a coffee instead, it will come with cream. The good news is that all this only costs £5.95, which is less than just a main course normally costs. But we were the only customers there for most of the time today, and the communication problems with the waiter, and the lack of printed information, made it an uncomfortable experience.

[maggielassie]

I live here. I went to Black Bo's on my birthday. Very good. I do miss Susie's. They made nice tofu, and it was near my Uni. :(

Where is L'Artichaut, Penny? That good? :)

I like Ann Purna. I hate their use of dairy though. Last time I went there, I was still a lacto-ovo. But do they know what 'vegan' means in that restaurant, in case I return? :confused:

[mutuality]

It is in Blackfriars Street. You can get a 3 course meal for £20. Ours came to £40 (3 course) but with drinks.

So whats your opinion on L'Artichaut?

[Loss]

Hello fellow Edinburgers! I hope this is not considered spamming, but the Forest (http://theforest.org.uk), one of the most vegan-friendly places in town, needs your help.
If you've been there in the last couple of weeks you may have noticed that the building is for sale - the Edinburgh University Settlement, who owns it, just went bankrupt. The Roxy has already been shut down.
We are now trying to raise enough money to buy the building ourselves and continue to do what we do, that is providing a free and creative arts space for the community. As you may already own, we're a volunteer-run charity, so no one is trying to make a profit here.
If you ever enjoyed our lovely vegan cakes or one of our free events, please help (http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=166287496732174)!

[maggielassie]

I've been to The Forrest quite a few times. It's lovely. Though I wish more vegan-friendly restaurants/cafes would do wholemeal breads sometimes. I hate white bread, it being flat doesn't make it better...

[Loss]

Does anybody know a vegan-friendly Japanese restaurant in Edinburgh? I don't expect it to be vegan of course, I'd just like to find a place where I can happily eat fishless sushi and tempura and udon etc etc.

[Penny]

Where is L'Artichaut, Penny? That good? :)

:

Sorry for very late reply, Maggie. Some of us were planning a Christmas get-together for vegans across the central belt at L'Artichaut earlier this month - until we found out that they're going to start serving meat in the New Year! :( So the meal was changed to the Kalpna. Unfortunately, because of the dreadful weather, DD and I couldn't go. Apparently it was great, though, with 'all you can eat'!

[Golebnik]

Organic veg boxes in Edinburgh

We have a regular weekly veg box from East Coast Organics, but they recently started rearing pigs for meat. Therefore I have been planning on trying the veg boxes from the other local farm, Phantassie, but their web site phantassie.co.uk (http://www.phantassie.co.uk/) doesn’t have much information, and it appears that they also sell meat!

Does anyone have experience of both suppliers, and do you know whether Phantassie rears animals for meat too?

[littlemiss]

Hello! We're visiting Edinburgh next month for a couple of days, just wondering if anyone can reccommend somewhere that could do vegan cooked breakfast? Just as a treat for one of the mornings. Thanks!

[AnneCE]

The only place I can think of is Hendersons - http://www.hendersonsofedinburgh.co.uk/restaurant.php - but I've never had breakfast there. Some people love Hendersons, I think it is only ok. But I can't think of anywhere else in Edinburgh that is veg*n and does breakfast.

[Loss]

Hello! We're visiting Edinburgh next month for a couple of days, just wondering if anyone can reccommend somewhere that could do vegan cooked breakfast? Just as a treat for one of the mornings. Thanks!
The Auld Hoose (http://www.theauldhoose.co.uk/food.htm) is omni but vegan friendly and does breakfast. I'm not sure if "veggie" means vegan or vegetarian here though. E.g., the menu on the website says "vegetarian burger" but the staff swears it's vegan.
The Forest (http://blog.theforest.org.uk/cafe) does vegan breakfast on (most) Sundays. Usually hashbrowns, sometimes (v)haggis, mushrooms or scrambled tofu, baked beans, toast, fruit juice, etc.

[pusskins]

The Forest (http://blog.theforest.org.uk/cafe) does vegan breakfast on (most) Sundays. Usually hashbrowns, sometimes (v)haggis, mushrooms or scrambled tofu, baked beans, toast, fruit juice, etc.

Wow! Thanks for that, Loss. I've only been to Henderson's, and we're due a visit to Edinburgh later this year. Have bookmarked The Forest :thumbsup: I was impressed with Henderson's when we went. Mind, that was 2 years ago. Delicious food and well presented, friendly staff, and in a nice venue.

[littlemiss]

Thanks for the suggestions, we wont be around Sunday so will miss out trying the forest but I'll keep that in mind as I'm sure we'll be back! I think I've been to hendersons for lunch and it was ok but breakfast doesn't need much imagination, it would just be nice hot (and vegan) as we'll be eating bread and jam in the hotel room the other mornings (which is nice too).

[mutuality]

My gf and I are off on the 'vegan roadshow' again....this time to The Lakes and back to Edinburgh. We have booked a table at David Bann for Friday 29th and Henderson's Bistro on Saturday 30th....so will let you guys know what the food is like. :)

[harpy]

<feels envious of mutuality> Have a lovely time, those are both great places. The Lake District is also fairly veggie-friendly IIRC (not sure about vegan-friendly, it's been a while since I went!).

[Barefootinthegrass]

We have booked a table at David Bann for Friday 29th and Henderson's Bistro on Saturday 30th....so will let you guys know what the food is like. :)

Have fun at Bann's...lovely food there! :)

[Loss]

Have fun at Bann's...lovely food there! :)
And keep some room in your stomach for dessert - the filo basket with caramelized fruit is to die for.

[mutuality]

<feels envious of mutuality> Have a lovely time, those are both great places. The Lake District is also fairly veggie-friendly IIRC (not sure about vegan-friendly, it's been a while since I went!).

Well Harpy and friends,

Breaking news - 2 vegans (me and my gf) got engaged at Gretna on 29.4.11 at Noon - including Engagement cake (vegan, chocolate, hazelnut topped with raspberries and blueberries) from The Chocolate Tree in Edinburgh, 2 nights in a B&B, dinner at David Bann (including Cosmopolitan Cocktail on arrival)....and loads more. Details to follow......:):bigsmile::bigsmile:

[harpy]

Just seen this... Many congratulations mutuality and gf - sounds like a rather food-themed trip, and a great start to engaged life! :thumbsup: Yes, more foodie details please when convenient.

[pusskins]

Congratulations to you both, mutuality! Sounds like you celebrated tastefully and abundantly!

[mutuality]

Congratulations to you both, mutuality! Sounds like you celebrated tastefully and abundantly!


Hi Harpy and Pusskins,

Thank you so much for your comments. It was such a memorable, amazing day that it will live with us forever! We also got a mention on Steve Wright's love songs on Radio 2 this morning at 1hr 13 mins 38 secs if you are interested.

Right, here is the reviews on The Heights Hotel in The Lakes, near Keswick, The Claymoore Bed and Breakfast in Pilrig St, Leith, Edinburgh and David Bann.

The Heights Hotel
The location of this hotel is stunning, with many rooms having views of Catbells, Skiddaw or both. The rooms could be easily improved with simple touches but we had a very comfortable stay, with no problem catering for vegans at both breakfast and evening meal. Choose from cereals, orange juice, fruit, and/or full cooked veggie/vegan breakfast. We had beans, tomatoes, sausages, mushrooms, hash browns and toast (with vegan spread). What makes this establishment unique is that they also run a public bar with a solely vegetarian/vegan menu. What's more, they reserve a cosy room just for residents, so you can be assured of getting a meal without pre-booking. The menu is varied and includes items such as fried bread with a curry sauce dip, spring rolls, wedges, curry, chilli and sweet and sour. We opted for the fried bread for starter and then a sweet and sour veg and vegan soy pieces and a chow mein dish; all delicious.

Claymore Vegetarian Guesthouse
We couldn't fault this place on anything. Our en suite room was warm and cosy with heating controls in the room so you could choose the temperature. Breakfast was imaginative, with items not offered at other places, such as tattie scone (potato cake), sweet onion, polenta, french toast and omelettes. We opted for beans, tomatoes, potato cake, polenta, fried potatoes, mushrooms and toast (with vegan spread). There were also hot cross buns, olive bread, pancakes and cereals to help yourself to (some vegan, some just veggie). On the whole, a very pleasant stay, and in a quiet area of Edinburgh (Pilrig Street, Leith), but within walking distance of the city.

David Bann
The food here is always imaginative and vegan options are always marked on the menu. There were four vegan options on this occasion, two of which were spicy, so we ruled them out! This left a dish of organic Udon noodles and a risotto of tomato, peas and basil. We also had bread and olives to start. Unpitted olives are always an annoyance, as you try to look dignified while removing a huge stone from your mouth! The mains were delicious; possibly the best vegan risotto I have tasted, and the staff very friendly.

:):thumbsup:

[Loss]

Has anyone ever been to the Russian Passion Café (http://www.russianpassioncafe.co.uk)?
I've walked past it several times thinking "mmm, borsch" and only just occurred to me to look at the menus in the window and apparently they have vegan options (especially at dinner, when the café is only open if you book in advance). It looks really lovely!

[Annie M. Green]

hiya everyone :)
i will possibly be going to Edinburgh for a few days soon to visit my sister, who's at uni there. just wanted to ask you any advice for where to go and eat while i'm there. i've been to Edinburgh before, but it never occurred to me to check if there's much for a vegan there, so we usually ended up eating in chain cafes and restaurants and i always ended up with a very limited and boring choice.
i was wondering if you guys could suggest me something. my sis is an omni, she probably wouldn't mind very much to have a nice vegan meal, but she does like her animal products unfortunately. so maybe omni places that would be vegan-friendly as well. it would be especially good if they were on the cheaper side of course! :)

what i was also wondering about, and couldn't find anything on the web, is markets in Edinburgh. i'm in desperate need of new clothes, but i prefer not to shop at the high street chain stores. i was wondering where i could find markets or small shops with some interesting hippyish clothes. i know London is probably the best for that kind of things, but i'm guessing what i can find in Edinburgh will be completely different (in a good way of course:) ). plus my sis is gonna be with me to help me pick things out (oh how i hate clothes shopping....)

thanks so much in advance :) i can't wait for my trip up north :)